Bulguksa Temple 불국사

Bulguksa Temple is free to enter and opens at 09:00 every day. Last entry is 17:30 in October, 17:00 from November to January and 18:00 from March to September. Allow 1–1½ hours, go at opening time and pair it with Seokguram by bus 12. From town, take city bus 10 or 11 from the bus terminal stop.

Bulguksa sits on the western slopes of Tohamsan, about 12 km southeast of the Gyeongju bus terminals in a straight line. It is Korea’s best-known temple and, with the Seokguram grotto above it, has been on the UNESCO World Heritage list since 1995. Most first-time visitors come for its Silla stonework: two pagodas, stone stairways built as bridges and terraces of fitted stone that survived when the wooden halls burned.

Hours, fees and the main-hall repair

Opens	09:00 every day, all year
Last entry	18:00 (Mar–Sep), 17:30 (Feb and Oct), 17:00 (Nov–Jan)
Admission	Free since 4 May 2023
Temple car parks	Cars 2,000 won, buses 4,000 won
Pets	Not allowed
Time needed	1–1½ hours; half a day with Seokguram

Hours, fees and parking from the temple’s own visitor page, with the same free entry and a 09:00 start on VisitKorea, checked 23 October 2026. Older guides often give a 07:00 opening and an adult ticket price. Both are out of date.

The main hall. In February 2026 Korea’s heritage authorities said Daeungjeon, the main hall, needs to be taken apart and repaired after cracks and sagging were found in its main beams. On 8 March the temple posted that no repair schedule had been set and that the work does not affect entry. As of 23 October 2026 no start date has been published. Officials said a temporary shelter would go over the hall once work begins, so check the temple notice board before you go.

What to see at Bulguksa

The Korea Heritage Service dates the temple to 751, when the minister Kim Dae-seong began it. He died in 774 before it was finished, and the state completed it. The wooden halls burned during the Imjin War (1592–1598). Today’s main hall is a 1765 rebuild, and much of the rest was restored between 1969 and 1973. VisitKorea counts seven national treasures at the temple.

• The stone stairways. The 34 steps of Cheongungyo and Baegungyo (Blue Cloud and White Cloud bridges) lead up to the gate of the main hall. They are built like bridges with arched undersides, and the climb symbolises crossing from the everyday world into the Buddha’s land. To the west, the smaller Yeonhwagyo and Chilbogyo (18 steps) lead to the Paradise Hall; lotus petals are carved on their treads, and they are closed to walking to protect the worn carving. Both stairways are national treasures.
• Dabotap and Seokgatap. The two pagodas face each other in the courtyard in front of the main hall. Seokgatap, on the west, is a plain three-storey pagoda 10.75 m tall. Dabotap, on the east, is 10.29 m tall and far more ornate. In 1966 the world’s oldest known woodblock print, a Buddhist dharani sutra, was found inside Seokgatap. Dabotap once had four stone lions on its stairs; only one remains.
• Two gilt-bronze Buddhas. A seated Vairocana Buddha, 1.77 m tall, sits in Birojeon, and a seated Amitabha, 1.66 m tall, in Geungnakjeon. Both are national treasures from the Unified Silla period.
• Daeungjeon. The main hall, with an octagonal Silla stone lantern in front. Its repair has not started (see above).

Bulguksa is a working temple, so services may be under way in the halls. See Korean etiquette for how to behave at a temple, and temples for other temples worth visiting.

Getting there by bus

From	Bus	Get off / notes
Express and intercity bus terminals	City bus 11 or 10 from the 고속버스.시외버스터미널 stop	불국사 (Bulguksa): 29 stops on bus 11, which runs past Donggung Palace and the national museum; 33 stops on bus 10, which goes via Bomun Lake
Gyeongju Station (KTX)	A bus to the 고속버스.시외버스터미널 stop (61, 700 and 710 all pass it), then bus 10 or 11	The direct bus 700 runs 07:50–14:50 with gaps of 1–5 hours, and express bus 1150 (4 stops to 불국사) only every 3–4 hours
Bulguksa to Seokguram	Bus 12 from the 불국사 stop or the 불국사매표소 (Bulguksa ticket office) stop	석굴암주차장 (Seokguram car park); 08:40–16:40, every 60–80 minutes
Back to the centre	Bus 10 or 11 from the 불국사 stop	Bus 10 reaches 동궁과월지 (Donggung Palace and Wolji Pond) in 20 stops and the terminals in 28

Stop orders, first and last buses and frequencies from Gyeongju City’s live bus system, checked 23 October 2026.

• Buses 10 and 11 leave the start of the route between 06:00 and 21:40 (bus 10) or 06:15 and 22:00 (bus 11), every 20–50 minutes. They are the same loop in opposite directions, so either one gets you there and back.
• Fares. A city bus ride is 1,500 won, or 50 won less with a transport card.
• From the stop. The 불국사 stop is about 0.6 km in a straight line from the main courtyard. The 불국사매표소 (ticket office) stop on bus 12 is closer, about 0.4 km.
• Taxi. With luggage or from the KTX station, a taxi is the simple option.

By car. The temple has two car parks, one at the main gate (Iljumun) and one at the rear gate (Burimun). The temple says both are about a minute’s walk from the entrance, while the public car park lower down takes about 10 minutes on foot.

Tips for a first visit

• Go at 09:00, especially at weekends and in autumn. The courtyard in front of the pagodas is small, and the first hour is the easiest time to see it.
• Check the season’s last entry. It moves between 17:00 and 18:00, and from November it is 17:00.
• Do Seokguram first or second, but plan the bus. Bus 12 runs only every hour or so and stops at 16:40. Either take it up first and walk around Bulguksa afterwards, or time your visit to the next departure.
• Autumn. Bulguksa is a classic maple spot, and late October to early November is its busiest season. See autumn leaves.
• Evening plan. Bus 10 back to town passes Donggung Palace and Wolji Pond, which stays open until 22:00. Finish the day at the lit-up pond.

Around Bulguksa

Seokguram Grotto, the granite Buddha in its cave shrine near the top of Tohamsan, is the natural pair, by bus 12 or the mountain trail. Bomun Lake, on bus 11’s route back to town, has resort hotels and a lakeside path. Namsan, west of the temple, is a mountain of Silla rock carvings for a half-day hike.

In the centre, Daereungwon and the tomb parks are a short bus ride away. For trains, where to stay and the rest of the city, see the Gyeongju guide and the Gyeongsang region page. For a route that adds Gyeongju between Seoul and Busan, see Korea in 7 days, and for Korea’s national parks, including Gyeongju’s, see national parks.